"Endangered Species Act needs an update"
Once again Congress is trying to do something
about the Endangered Species Act, rightly
called ``the most sacred of the environmental
movement's sacred cows.'' All we can say is,
``Good luck,'' and the comment carries no
sarcasm.
All reform efforts of the past 15 years have
fallen victim to Washington head-butting.
There's a good argument that the 1973 act
actually is now hurting the protection of
nature's most fragile creatures because some
landowners ``shoot, shovel and shut up.'' That
is, they kill any species of interest, bury
the carcass and say nothing.
Many landowners would be proud to cooperate in
preserving species, but the deck is stacked
against them.
Full Boston Herald Editorial
"Silence sends two to jail in fire probe"
A judge jailed two San Diego environmental
activists who refused to testify yesterday
before a grand jury investigating a huge
University City arson fire and a speech some
15 hours later by a convicted arsonist.
The grand jury is looking into an Aug. 1,
2003, fire that caused $50 million damage to
the La Jolla Crossroads housing complex, and
into whether a radical activist broke the law
while describing a 1992 incident of arson.
The Earth Liberation Front, or ELF, an
environmental group that authorities describe
as extremist, took responsibility for the
University City fire, leaving a banner saying,
"If you build it, we will burn it."
Full Union Tribune Article |
Chairman Pombo Statement
House/Senate
Energy Conference
Yesterday, I sent a letter to Chairman Barton
notifying him of my intention to offer an
amendment to the conference
report.
This amendment will require the Administration
to complete a report to congress on the
national security implications of growing
Chinese consumption of energy made public by
the recent CNOOC bid to purchase Unocal.
I hope the conferees will see the logic of
this amendment in a national energy bill.
The attempt -- by a company owned 70% by the
Communist Chinese Government - to purchase an
American oil company - a "Strategic Asset" of
the US - should serve as a modern day
"Sputnik" call-to-arms for the Government to
get serious about energy's importance to our
economic and national security interests.
Full Statement |
SCHEDULE
Tues:
Joint Hearing
Financial and House Resources Committees
Native
American Housing
(2128 RHOB -11AM)
Water & Power
BOR
Facilities
(1324 LHOB - 11AM)
Full Committee
Oyster ESA
Listing
(1324 LHOB - 2PM)
Thurs:
Fisheries & Oceans
Salton Sea
Commemoration, Duck Stamp
(1324 LHOB-10AM)
Sat:
NEPA Task Force
NEPA in the
Southern States
(Nacogdoches, TX - 10AM) |